Masters of Their Craft at Drumclay Crannog

What to Expect

Cathy Moore, a wetlands archaeology specialist who worked as Assistant Director on the 2012 to 2013 Drumclay excavation, gives an evening talk at Enniskillen Castle on the almost 1,000 wooden objects recovered from the crannog. The collection survived because the waterlogged ground on the lakeside site kept the timber from rotting away, and it is one of the largest assemblages of its kind found in Ireland. Moore takes the audience through everyday tools, personal possessions and fine tableware, explaining how each piece was made, used, sometimes repaired, and eventually discarded.

The talk is built around craft rather than chronology. Drumclay was occupied from the early ninth century, with phases of activity continuing into the seventeenth, and the wooden assemblage gives an unusually direct view of the skills of the people who lived there. The evening runs alongside “Living at Drumclay: A Glimpse of Life on a Fermanagh Crannog”, the castle exhibition drawn from the same dig and open until 10 October 2026, so it is worth allowing time to see the objects in the cases before or after the talk. Places are limited and the session runs for 90 minutes.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Friday 21 August 2026, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
• Venue: Enniskillen Castle, Wellington Place, Enniskillen
• Price: £4 to £5.50 depending on concession
• Speaker: Cathy Moore, wetlands archaeology specialist and Assistant Director of the Drumclay excavation
• Booking in advance through the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council DigiTickets site
• Pairs with the Living at Drumclay exhibition, running at the castle until 10 October 2026
• Contact the castle on 028 6632 5000 or castle@fermanaghomagh.com

Getting There

Enniskillen Castle sits at the western end of the town’s island centre on Wellington Place, beside the River Erne. Drivers come in on the A4 from Belfast, Dungannon or Sligo, or on the A32 from Omagh and Ballinamallard. There is pay and display parking at the Castle car park and along Queen Elizabeth Road, both a couple of minutes from the entrance. Enniskillen bus station on Wellington Road is a five minute walk, handling Ulsterbus services from Belfast, Omagh, Dungannon and Sligo, along with the Bus Eireann route between Dublin and Donegal.